SEMMELWEIS, Ignaz (1818-1865)
SEMMELWEIS, Ignaz (1818-1865)
Autograph document signed ('Ig. Philipp Sem[m]elweis') as 'Med. Doctor & Primar-Geburtsarzt zu St. Rochus', a medical certificate concerning a young mother, Pest, Hungary, 24 December 1854.
In German, one page, 375 x 233mm, on grey paper. In a solander case.
The pioneer of antiseptic procedures examines a young mother. A rare autograph document: no records on ABPC/RBH. Semmelweis certifies his observation that one Anna Petermann, who has been admitted to the St Rochus hospital for childbirth and claims to be 19 years old, has been the subject of two previous obstetric operations, and must in fact be over the age of 30.
Semmelweis had made his great breakthrough seven years previously in Vienna, when he discovered that puerperal fever, a major cause of maternal and neonatal mortality, was the result of infective agents on the hands of medical staff, and could be almost completely eliminated by a strict programme of hand-washing with chlorinated limewater. In spite of its clear experimental success, Semmelweis's hand-washing technique was rejected by the medical establishment, and having lost his position in Vienna he returned to his native Hungary to take the position at the head of the obstetric ward of the small hospital of St Rochus in Pest. Once again he was successful in reducing rates of puerperal fever to less than one per cent, but colleagues continued to resist his methods, and his work was not to gain widespread recognition until several decades after his death in a lunatic asylum at the age of 47. In an article on Semmelweis's collected manuscripts, J. Antall, V. Harko and T. Vida estimate that as few as five original letters by Semmelweis survive, and no more than 20 or 30 documents in total ('Semmelweis Ignac összegyütött keziratai', Orvostörténeti Közlemények 46–47 (1968) 185–267).
Provenance
These lots have been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
View it on
Sale price
Estimate
Time
Auction House
SEMMELWEIS, Ignaz (1818-1865)
Autograph document signed ('Ig. Philipp Sem[m]elweis') as 'Med. Doctor & Primar-Geburtsarzt zu St. Rochus', a medical certificate concerning a young mother, Pest, Hungary, 24 December 1854.
In German, one page, 375 x 233mm, on grey paper. In a solander case.
The pioneer of antiseptic procedures examines a young mother. A rare autograph document: no records on ABPC/RBH. Semmelweis certifies his observation that one Anna Petermann, who has been admitted to the St Rochus hospital for childbirth and claims to be 19 years old, has been the subject of two previous obstetric operations, and must in fact be over the age of 30.
Semmelweis had made his great breakthrough seven years previously in Vienna, when he discovered that puerperal fever, a major cause of maternal and neonatal mortality, was the result of infective agents on the hands of medical staff, and could be almost completely eliminated by a strict programme of hand-washing with chlorinated limewater. In spite of its clear experimental success, Semmelweis's hand-washing technique was rejected by the medical establishment, and having lost his position in Vienna he returned to his native Hungary to take the position at the head of the obstetric ward of the small hospital of St Rochus in Pest. Once again he was successful in reducing rates of puerperal fever to less than one per cent, but colleagues continued to resist his methods, and his work was not to gain widespread recognition until several decades after his death in a lunatic asylum at the age of 47. In an article on Semmelweis's collected manuscripts, J. Antall, V. Harko and T. Vida estimate that as few as five original letters by Semmelweis survive, and no more than 20 or 30 documents in total ('Semmelweis Ignac összegyütött keziratai', Orvostörténeti Közlemények 46–47 (1968) 185–267).
Provenance
These lots have been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Sale price
Estimate
Time
Auction House
